The present invention concerns a method to generate document templates for print jobs in which a document template is generated in a generation unit using static resource data that are combined into addressable data sets, in particular files. Furthermore, it concerns a system to generate print jobs with a generation unit in which the document template is generated using static resource data.
Document templates for print jobs are, for example, known from serial printing. The document template establishes the general layout of each document of the series to be printed and is combined with individual data, what are known as variable data, in order to generate the individual print documents of the series.
A typical example for a serial printing is the printing of account statements of a bank. The layout of the account statements would typically be predetermined in a document template: for example specific fields of the sheet would be predetermined in which variable data, such as the name of the customer, his account number, etc., as well as the font that should be used for this, are to be inserted.
When the account statement of a specific customer group should be printed out, the document template and the variable data are merged in a data processing device, and from this a print job is generated. The print job thus comprises variable data, such as for example the cited customer names and account numbers, and unchanging elements, such as for example fonts or standard texts. Such unchanging elements are typically called static resource data.
When the print job is transmitted from the cited data processing device to a printer, each resource data set only has to be transmitted to the printer once, and must otherwise only be cited in a specially prepared print data stream. Via the division of the print job into variable data and static resource data, the amount of data that must be transmitted to the printer is thus kept smaller, which is essential given the enormous processing speed of modern high-capacity printers.
DE 100 17 785 shows a method and a system to process a print data stream in which the detailed print data stream is sorted in a manner that is adapted to the further processing of the printed good (for example, binding or shipment). The print data stream is divided per document into variable data and static resource data. What are known as “inline resources”, that are already comprised in the detailed print data stream, are thereby differentiated from what are known as “external resources” that are themselves not present in the detailed print data stream, but however which can be incorporated into the print data stream via referencing.
In addition to fonts and standard texts, typical resource data are forms, tables, graphic elements such as images or logos, however also layout templates for print pages and templates for the positioning of the printer pages of the recording medium. A more detailed specification of the printer with static resource data is found, for example, in the publication “Das Druckerbuch”, Dr. Gerd Goldmann, 6th edition, May 2001, ISBN 3-00-001019-X in chapter 13, the content of which is hereby included by reference in the present specification.
In chapter 13 of this publication, a generation unit for document templates for print jobs is also specified that is formed via a combination of the programs “Smart Layout Editor”, “Forms Generation Language” and “Océ Font Manager”. With such programs, addressable resource data sets that can be accessed in a document template can be generated and processed.
The addressable resource data sets are typically files. All resource files that are used in a document template must be transferred to the data processing device in which the static resource data of the document template and the variable data are combined in order to complete the print job. When one of the resource files used by the document template is missing on the data processing device, the print job can not be executed, but rather the printer delays until the missing resource file is added.